With weeks to go for the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has opened its doors to Anil Sharma, son of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Sukh Ram, who was jailed in the country’s first telecom scam, said a report by The Print.

On Sunday, October 15, Anil Sharma confirmed that he and his father had joined the BJP. He also announced that he would contest the Mandi assembly seat on the BJP ticket.

Anil Sharma, who was a cabinet minister in the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government, claimed that his family was being “ignored” in the Congress and his last straw was not being paid attention in the recent rally organised by Rahul Gandhi in the Mandi district.

Sukh Ram, 92, had been a bitter rival of Virbhadra Singh for decades. He did mend the broken chords with his old arch-rival, after retiring from electoral politics in 2004. But the old feud is back in the open. Reacting to the latest development, Virbhadra Singh said, he was not “surprised.”

He also said that the exit of the father-son duo from the Congress was expected. He added that Sukh Ram had a reputation of switching loyalties. The CM further added that Sukh Ram is the first well-known “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” in Himachal Pradesh, according to a report by the Business Standard.

Sharma was the rural development minister in the Virbhadra Singh government. BJP is yet to release its candidates contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh.

Who is Sukh Ram

Sukh Ram was born in a particularly not well-to-do Brahmin family in Himachal Pradesh, in 1927 and he had rags to riches life. He was a struggling lawyer who took to politics and made it good in it. Sukh Ram represented the Mandi Assembly seat from 1963 to 1984. He also served his term as a junior minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government. He served as a minister of state for defence production and supplies, planning, food and civil supplies. In 1991, he was the union minister of the state of the communications portfolio.

Mother of scams

The former telecom minister Sukh Ram was awarded five years of imprisonment by a Delhi Court, after being convicted of taking Rs three lakh as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996. Special CBI judge R P Pandey also imposed a fine of Rs four lakh on Sukh Ram who held the Telecom portfolio in PV Narasimha Rao’s cabinet, said a report by the Firstpost.

Sukh Ram was held guilty under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Various offences under which he has been convicted entail a maximum sentence of 7 years of jail term.

He was held guilty of misusing his official position during his tenure as Telecom Minister in the award of a contract worth Rs 30 crore to private firm Haryana Telecom Ltd to supply 3.5 Lakh Conductor Kilometres (LCKM) of Polythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables to the telecom department. Sukh RAm launched his own party, Himachal Vikas Congress after being thrown out of Congress in 1997. The party won five seats in the 1998 assembly polls. It helped BJP which was short of a majority to form the government under Prem Kumar Dhumal. Later, in 2004, the party merged with the Congress.

A Brahmin mass leader in his own right, Sukh Ram remained a serious contender for the CM’s post in the state. But as Brahmins vs Rajputs politics played out in the state, Sukh Ram shifted to the Lok Sabha in 1984 and Virbhadra took the centre of the stage in the state.

Mandi district is Sukh ram’s traditional stronghold and his family has considerable influence over the assembly seats in the region. Whereas his son, Anil Sharma

The Logical Indian Take

The Bharatiya Janata Party opening up its doors for corrupt politicians and to their kith and kin sends a wrong message to the common masses of the country. It also tarnishes the image of the party. Such politicians with pre-recorded activities pertaining to corruption, if elected and brought again to power, might as well delve deeper again into corrupt activities by using the power of their position.

The lawbreakers today are now the lawmakers and they do not allow the parliament to enact sufficient laws to effectively administer the country. The parliament loses the moral authority to legislate laws.

A party leader should be someone whom his followers from the common mass can look upto. He should not be someone who has been involved in bribery and such other heinous acts. The Logical Indian community condemns BJP opening up its doors to such persons who have been engaged in corruption previously. Persons with such proven background of corruption must not be allowed to contest elections once again.

Partner Story

Even at 76, Pradip Burman, the zestful chairman of Mobius Foundation radiates a contagious enthusiasm when he is talking about sustainability. The environmental crusader, better known to many as the great-grandson of Dabur founder Dr S.K.Burman, has devoted substantial attention towards promoting the concept of sustainability in all aspects of life. He refuses to conform to the convenience and comfort in today’s world which ultimately adds on to the adverse effects of climate change.

Talking to The Logical Indian, Burman emphasised why sustainability as a concept is indispensable for us. “We ought to be aware of what lies ahead of us. Soon we will finish the oil, iron, tin, and coal, and our next generations will be left with nothing. Recycling, banning plastics, stop felling trees for paper… This should become a part of everyone’s lifestyle,” he urges.

Mr Burman watering a sapling at the tree plantation drive organised by his non-profit Mobius Foundation

Traditional wisdom and modern research

A mechanical engineer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, Burman had always nurtured a keen interest in helping the society, as evident from his graduation project of designing a sonic aid for the visually challenged, which detected obstacles in the way using ultrasonic wave signals.

As an executive for the nature-centric company Dabur, Burman has always opted for natural alternatives to solve his everyday problems like taking Ayurvedic medicine to cure his Arthritis. He later launched the veterinary wing for Dabur – Ayurvet – which provides nature-friendly solutions for animal health care.

A patron of the ancient scientific wisdom of India, Burman always hailed the confluence of “traditional knowledge and modern research”, which he advocated as the Ayurvet motto.

Ayurvet is one of the best ventures by Mr Burman

As part of the CSR initiative of Dabur, Pradip Burman founded SUNDESH (Sustainable Development Society) which has been tirelessly working for last 25 years in remote villages for uplifting the rural communities in an environmentally sustainable way.

An advocate of sustainability

Burman believes that sustainability is the indispensable mantra for the world at present. Due to uncontrolled utilisation of the planet’s resources by human beings, the world today stands at a juncture of destabilisation. Today the human race has reached the pinnacle of progress but the advancement is happening in a very unsustainable manner.

Through energy-efficient use of everyday essentials like transport, communication, altered habits of diet, clothing and daily living, some crusaders of sustainability try to reduce their carbon footprint. Pradip Burman’s Mobius Foundation is one of the forerunners toward sustainability goals.

Mobius Foundation aims to change the sustainability dynamics

In 2015, Burman paved the way for the start of Mobius Foundation, focused on sustainability. Named after 18th-century German mathematician August Ferdinand Mobius, the famous Mobius strip has an important philosophical significance. The extraordinary shape symbolises balance and union.

Similar is the essence of Mobius Foundation which wishes to enhance the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” principle to a widespread basis in India, helping generations to come.

Founder Pradip Burman wishes to achieve notable development in education, population stabilisation and renewable energy projects.

A dream school in the making

At Coorg, Pradip Burman’s Mobius Foundation is constructing the World Environment School, Coorg (WESc) where the curriculum will surpass the boundaries of books and classrooms, with a special focus on hands-on learning in close collaboration with the environment. Amidst the pristine natural beauty of Coorg, the school will nurture young minds to grow up into future green leaders. As of now, the school will be open to teenagers, welcoming students from standards 6 to 12.

Needless to say, World Environment School will be the first-of-its-kind not only in India but also in entire South Asia. The school is expected to start from March 2020.

The school promises to nurture the responsible behaviour of citizens of our future.

The Sustainability Conference of 2019

In 2019, the Mobius Foundation has planned an international conference, on the lines of the celebrated earth summits over the past decade. The 2019 International Conference on Sustainability Education (ICSE 2019) aims to bring together environmental activists, practitioners of sustainable development as well as climate change experts to help develop a sustainability-focused curriculum.

It is surmised that the conference will give a platform to innovative concepts of Sustainability Education including an essential change in the existing education system ensuring a wholesome personal development for a student.

The Sustainability crusader

The Mobius founder strongly believes that it is high time to sprout sustainability awareness among a society drowning in consumerism and unknowingly doing irreparable harm to the planet, every second. The best way to achieve this goal is through education which is available to all. At present, the education system is predominantly career-oriented, making the learners a victim of materialism, and thus, their dreams are also outlined in those colours.

Living beyond the limits

When asked about his wish to attain the age of hundred, he strongly asserts that more than becoming a centurion, he wishes his life and work continue to better the society even in his absence. “I have lived my life. I wish that whatever I start before I go, will continue – for the betterment of my country,” says Mr Pradip Burman.

He is also a trustee of the Climate Reality Project – India (affiliated to Mr. Al Gore of the Climate Reality Project Foundation, USA). Climate Reality Project, India, has been actively engaged igniting the spark and spreading the message of climate change amongst educators, policy makers and civil society. The India branch looks after more than 500 trained Climate Leaders, and more than 900 volunteers spread all over the country.

In his journey, Pradip Burman has been a beacon of hope for millions, motivating many to join the movement for sustainability. We wish he continues his tireless efforts for promoting sustainability awareness and inspire generations to come.